The Pair Behind The Masks
by Enavi
Summary: With no other choice left, Ladybug and Cat Noir have to say goodbye to their superhero identities, which means taking off their masks and finally revealing their true selves to each other. On top of this budding romance, who will save Paris now? They'll have to find another way, as they hold hands and plunge into the night... Romance/Mystery/Fluff


Chapter 1

It was the end of the world.

Somehow, an akuma had infected the mayor of Paris, who then infected other members of the government all the way to the heads of state, including the French President and Prime Minister. They passed an executive order for the deaths of Ladybug and Cat Noir-more specifically, their heads on a plate and their miraculouses in a dinner bowl. All of the townspeople, the police, their classmates were out looking for them. It was a terrible manhunt. And the worst part was that they were tricked into revealing that Ladybug and Car Noir both attended the same school in Paris, and they were able to locate which school.

"Looks like we're in this mess together," Ladybug sighed, defeated.

"Yeah, I don't think we're getting out of this hairball," Cat Noir replied.

Ladybug cracked her crooked smile and shook her head, "You always have a joke for every occasion, don't you?"

Cat Noir looked up at the night sky as the two of them hid under one of Paris's bridges that hung over the river Sienne.

"It really is the end, isn't it?" He asked rhetorically.

Ladybug's eyes dropped to the floor, her shoulders hunched. "Yeah… this'll probably be the last time we transform. We just can't take any more chances."

The two of them stood there, overwhelming grief looming over them.

"I'm sorry, Lady…" Cat Noir began.

"For what?"

"I just can't accept that this'll be the last time we meet"' he answered.

Ladybug knew what he was getting at. She smiled through her welled-up eyes, "I guess there's no point in hiding it from each other anymore…"

Cat Noir looked at Ladybug, and she looked at him.

"For the longest time, you've fought by my side," Cat Noir said, "After everything we've gone through, all the battles we've fought…" He remembered, gazing into space, "No matter who's under that mask, I trust her with my life."

Ladybug held her hand up to her chest, a knot in her stomach, and ball in her throat. It was almost impossible to hold back the tears now...

"Hey… what's wrong? Are you alright?" Cat Noir tried to comfort her, taking a step closer and offering her his arms, but she stood there, staring at the ground, seemingly terrified. "W-What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" he joked half-heartedly, attempting to lighten up the situation, but only making matters worse.

"I… can't…" she mumbled, hiding her face in her hands.

Cat Noir furrowed his eyebrows, stopping in his tracks, trying to decipher what she meant. His eyes grew sad, like she was breaking his heart. "...Don't you trust me…? After everything…? I'd never betray-"

"It's not that," she interrupted.

Noir waited for her to continue, his hands in nervous fists at his sides.

Lady dropped her hands from her face, but kept her gaze down at the ground. "I'm… afraid… I'm… I'm just so afraid… of what you'll think of me…" she slowly answered, her voice failing her, "What if, when you see who I really am, I'll disappoint you? I'm not a spectacular superhero in my day-to-day life, I'm just an ordinary girl… What if... I'm just too boring for you?" Then her eyes went wide, "What if you know me?! What if you know me in real life and you actually hate me?!"

Anxiety crept up, making her head spin, her foot began to tap, her fingers interlocked as she continued to fidget, her nerves all over the place. But all-of-a-sudden…

Cat Noir put his thumb under her chin and raised it up gently.

"You'll always be my Lady…" he assured her, his green cat eyes gazing into hers, unwavering. Their faces just a few inches away.

For that moment, her heart began to flutter, but she got it back in control and gently waved his thumb away like usual.

"Alright," she agreed with a sigh of relief, "In that case, let's make a deal."

"Hmm... Curiosity could kill this cat. Do go on," he replied.

"We'll both have our backs facing each other and take off our masks, then on the count of three, we'll turn around and reveal ourselves at the same time. No cheating, no backing out, and just to make sure, we'll throw our masks into the river at the same time, since we won't be needing them anymore."

"Okay, okay, hold up. Are we counting down from three, or up to three? And are we turning around on 'go' or on 'three?' Because it really bugs me when people don't go on 'three' but add on the 'go' and the whole timing is off-"

"Cat Noir!"

"Sorry. Got a bit carried away there."

"We'll be counting _up_ to three and we'll do it _on_ three. Easy."

Cat Noir took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay." Suddenly, he felt super nervous. All of those thoughts that Lady was having, he was now having, too.

"Ready?" Ladybug asked, turning her back to him.

"Wait!" he half-shouted, his hand reaching out, even though she couldn't see it.

Ladybug looked over her shoulder at him.

The cat bit his tongue for a moment, then took another breath and released it. "Just promise me the same thing, too. That no matter who you find out I really am, you'll still accept me, and that we'll still be…" _Allies? Teammates? Super-buds?_ "...Whatever we are."

Ladybug shone her gentle smile, her sky-blue eyes shining, "Of course, I will. There's no cooler cat in all of Paris," she said, then turned back around.

Cat Noir chuckled, then turned his back as well. "Your jokes are always so lame…"

Lady scrunched up her nose, knowing he couldn't see her do it, then began to take off her mask. "Okay! Masks off."

"You got it," the boy replied, nervously peeling his secret identity-hiding device. It felt so foreign to him to have his superhero suit on, but not his mask. He almost felt naked without it.

The two of them took a moment to gaze at their masks, saying goodbye, not only to an article of clothing, but to the alternative identity it gave them, to what it represented, to who it represented, and that they could never again become that.

Ladybug's lower lip quivered as she fought back the tears, the ball in her throat returning, along with the knot in her stomach. It felt so wrong to say goodbye, but there was nothing more they could do. They would have to find another way.

"Okay," she said, trying hard to mask how nasal her voice came across, sniffling quietly, "I'm throwing my mask now."

She shut her eyes, then tossed the thing into the water with all her might, a small splash reassuring her it made it. Two seconds later, she heard another splash from far behind her.

"I threw mine, too," the boy who was once Cat Noir said, his voice a bit shaky.

 _Here we go…_ she thought to herself, _No turning back._

The two of them stood there, only a meter apart, their backs facing each other. They both felt the fear and the deep importance this revelation would create, both of their hands shaking, as they held them in fists at their sides. The other _person_ , the _person behind the mask_ was nearly tangible, standing so close, the air around them grew electric.

"Ok…" the boy muttered, "I'm ready when you are, m'lady…"

The girl who was once Ladybug gulped, then began to count, "One…" the boy joined in with her, "Two…" then the two of them shut their eyes tightly, "THREE!"

They both spun around, facing each other, enveloped in silence.

The two of them stood there for a few moments. Nothing.

"...Well…?" the girl asked.

"...Well, what?" the boy asked back.

"Wait! Your eyes are closed too?!" the girl argued.

"HA!" the boy laughed nervously, "Great minds think alike, I guess… copycat."

"I'm sorry, I'm just…" she mumbled.

"I know," the boy reassured, "I get it. For the longest time, I…"

The girl waited and listened. She heard the boy take a deep breath, let it out, then continue.

"For the longest time, I've… I've admired you so much. I've come to truly look up to you, Ladybug… I've almost wished that crime would happen, or that another villain would come up to threaten Paris, just so I could transform and meet you again. It was such a unique thing, to only be able to meet such a unique person like you in that way. I grew to anticipate every chance I got to meet up with you. And I…"

"...Yes?"

"I… I think I fell in love with you. I simply couldn't get you out of my mind. Every day, when I woke up and every day, when I went to bed. When I went to class, when I arrived back home and sat in my lonely room… All I could think of was about the girl in the red and black polka-dot suit. And how amazing she was."

The girl's face grew hot. She instinctively put her hands on her cheeks, which were flushed bright pink. She didn't know what to say. Here, the guy behind Cat Noir was confessing his love to her!

"So, I guess I'm sorry for being extra nervous about this. I know that the second you see me for who I really am, I'll be seeing the real you, too. I have it in my head that your identity as Ladybug was in many ways my ideal girl, and now that I finally get to meet you-the real you-it's just… it's really nerve-racking. It's more than just an introduction to me."

The girl's heart broke for him. She could understand how profound this would be for him, just like it'll be for her, but this was much different now…

"I'm sorry," she apologized, raising up the boy's ears, "But there's actually… someone else I'm in love with."

"I knew it! Of course, you already have a boyfriend."

"Wh-wh-what? A boyfriend?! Th-th-that's crazy!" she stuttered, "There's no way! I-I-I mean, me and Adr-Adr-A-a-a _a dream boy_ like him would be impossible!" she improvised, adjusting her slip-up, "...I mean… I doubt he'd ever think of me like that, anyway…" she confessed.

The boy cracked a crooked grin to himself, "Well, he's the luckiest man in the world to have stolen your heart from me," he admitted, sadly.

The girl felt a bit bad, but a bit flattered by the thought. "Thank-you, anyway."

The boy sighed, "So are we still doing this, or what, m'lady?"

"Oh yeah!" she jumped, then immediately tripped, falling seemingly in slow-motion to plant her face into the ground.

In that moment, the boy heard her foot slipping harshly and extended his arms to catch her fall. Instinctively, the girl snapped her eyes wide open as she was falling in order to catch herself, but instead, saw Cat Noir's black leather-clad arms encompassing her.

"Good thing I've got cat-like reflexes," he jested.

Unintentionally, the girl gazed up, both in order to stand and to begin her long-winded apology, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I-" But she was cut short by the sight before her.

IT WAS ADRIEN.

Her mind was screaming, _OH MY GOD! IT'S ADRIEN! IT WAS ADRIEN?! CAT NOIR IS ACTUALLY ADRIEN?! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! THIS MUST BE A DREAM! Definitely. I'm definitely dreaming. I'm actually sleeping in class right now… BUT WAIT! DIDN'T HE JUST CONFESS HIS LOVE FOR ME?! IS THIS REAL LIFE? I FEEL LIKE I'M GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK! But wait, is this some sort of trick? HOW CAN IT BE, HE'S WEARING CAT NOIR'S SUIT! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"_

Marinette's face grew even redder, she was sure it was just as red as her suit. She was so completely mortified. Here, the boy of her dreams had just confessed his love for her and she was so mistakenly blind that she told him she was in love with someone else-when that someone was him all along! _This is just my luck!_ She thought. But all the while, Adrien's arms still held onto her, which was a good thing she concluded, since her head was so dizzy from embarrassment.

Meanwhile, the boy was awestruck. He was utterly shocked. "M-Marinette…" he whispered between shallow breaths, "Y-y-you… You're… _YOU'RE LADYBUG?_ "

The girl couldn't help but gulp, "S-s-s-s-surprise."

 _This is it..._ she thought.

Without warning, Adrien began to weep, tears falling from his eyes like synchronized pin drops as they fell.

 _WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!_ She thought, panic now growing inside her. She began to stand up, but Adrien held her still, his arms wrapping around her tighter. "Huh?" she mumbled.

"I…" Adrien murmured between the tears, "I… I've… I've… all along… she… it was _you..._ all along…" he fell to his knees, taking Marinette down with him in his close embrace, where he began to cry with his head lowered, seemingly in defeat.

"A-Adrien…" Marinette sympathized, gently placing her hand on the boy's shoulder, causing him to dive his face into her arms.

"I'M SO STUPID!" he bellowed, sobbing aloud.

"Shhhh! Someone will hear us!" she hissed in a whisper, "Remember, we're still in our suits!"

Adrien's shoulders shook as Marinette wrapped her arms around him, attempting to comfort the boy.

 _I just can't believe this…_ she kept repeating over and over in her mind.

"I've been so blind," he whispered, so close that Marinette had no problem hearing every shudder in his voice, "It was you this entire time, and you'd been right in front of me. You were in my class! I saw you every day! And like a fool I couldn't connect the dots," he admitted, "Instead, I'd lay in bed awake, dreaming about who you could be. I'm so stupid! You were within my arm's reach…" he said, cradling the back of Marinette's head and wrapping his other arm around her waist.

The girl became a statue. She felt a tingling up her spine.

"But I was such a fool… I was too slow, and now… Now... some other guy has stolen you away from me," he weeped.

Marinette's eyes widened awkwardly.

"Had I known…" he continued, whispering into the girl's ear, "I would have swept you off your feet and into the night."

Marinette could feel her heart rate increase. Then she instnatly remembered all of the previous times when Cat Noir was flirting with her, leaning in closely, teasing her with a wink, and came to the realization that it was Adrien all along. Her face felt red hot. He _had_ been trying to sweep her off her feet but it had no effect because she didn't think it was him!

Adrien sighed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, "I'm sorry… you must think I'm so _lame_ now," he chuckled nervously, bright pink flushing his cheeks, "Since... I was always making those god-awful puns all the time…"

"Huh?" Marinette sputtured, "Your jokes are hilarious!"

Adrien stammered, blushing hard, "Wha-? But- Uh- um, I…" he quickly covered his mouth and cleared his throat, "Sorry you had to hear those… I was trying so hard to impress you…"

Marinette couldn't look him straight in the eye, she was so embarrassed. He had no idea…

"Marinette…" Adrien spoke.

"Uh, yes?" she replied, fixing her posture but avoiding eye contact.

"I'm sorry to ask, and I know it may be too intrusive… But I have to know…" he began.

"Kn-kn-know what?" she stuttered, fidgeting with her hands.

"Who is he… the guy you're in love with?" he asked.

It was the one question she wished she didn't have to answer.

Her breathing became terribly uneven as she tried to speak. "W-well… it's… he's, um… it's someone we both know. I mean, of course I know who he is, but um… w-w-what I mean is that you know him, too… You know, from real life." The girl took in a deep breath. She couldn't think straight, much less speak coherently.

Adrien's green eyes turned envious. "How do I know him? Does he live nearby?"

"Um…" Marinette fumbled, "Yes? I'm sure you see him every day."

The boy furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? Does he go to the same _school_ as us?"

Marinette's throat started closing up. She felt like she might throw up. She nodded silently, instead.

"Okay…" Adrien continued, "So who is it?" he prodded.

Marinette pursed her lips. She didn't know how to reply. Her fists were shaking terribly.

Adrien sighed in frustration, rubbing the back of his head. "Is he… in the same class as us?"

Marinette paused, then gravely nodded once.

"It's Nino, isn't it?!" Adrien concluded. "I remember when he had a crush on you, but ended up with Alya! Did you become jealous or something?"

Marinette made a gagging noise, "No way!"

Adrien felt relieved, since Nino was his best friend. He didn't want to be at odds with him because of a love interest. "Okay then," he said, lifting his chin up, "Now all I have to do is just list off all of the boys in class in order to figure it out."

"What?! That's totally cheating!" Marinette nearly shouted.

Adrien put a finger up to her lips. "Keep your voice down, m'lady… remember?" he said with a wink.

Marinette couldn't believe how similar his and Cat Noir's green eyes were. She had been just as blind to not realize who it was. But in her mind, she never would have guessed that Adrien would have been so free-spirited and uninhibited and… flirtatious as he was when he was Cat Noir.

The two of them stared at each other, Adrien's green eyes determined and passionate, Marinette's withdrawn and blinking nervously.

"I'm going to find out one way or another…" Adrien teased, "So what does he look like?"

"He's… um… taller than I am, I guess…" she muttered, fidgeting with her hair.

"Is he better-looking than me?" he asked.

Marinette sputtered, then inexplicably broke into a giggling fit. She couldn't help it. "No, haha, he's just about the same."

Adrien grinned, "He must truly be a formidable foe if he can match my charms!" he concluded, thumbing his chest.

Marinette's smile began to fade. _How much longer can this farce go on?_ She thought to herself.

"Okay, what's his hair color? Eye color?" Adrien prodded further.

"Green eyes," Marinette answered, flatly, staring at the river to the side.

"Hm…" Adrien thought, "Well, then again, I guess I never really took very much notice of the other guys' eye color."

Marinette bit her lip, "You'd remember these eyes," she said ominously.

Adrien furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

Marinette sighed. _It's time I finally told him…_

Adrien watched her dig for something.

"I have a, uh… picture of him here…" she said, her fingers shaking as she clutched onto what seemed like a little pop-open locket.

Adrien waited patiently, his nerves a bit on edge to find out who this intruder into his love life was.

Marinette handed it to him nervously, her hands visibly shaking. Adrien noticed this and placed his hands over hers as he took the little item. The two of them blushed, then Marinette sat up with her shoulders hunched up, her fists on her lap. Adrien took a breath, examining the odd little locket, then with determination, clicked it open.

"W-what…?" he muttered under his breath as he was met with a familiar pair of soft, green eyes. "Marinette… this is a _mirror,_ " he told her in a tone that meant she must have grabbed the wrong item.

"I… I-I-I know…" she explained, gulping hard as she tried to control the ball in her throat and muster as much courage as she could.

Adrien stared back at the mirror. Then, something snapped and he understood.

"It's… _y-y-you_ … that I'm... in... in…," she gasped hard, " in love with… Adrien…" Marinette finally confessed. Her heart was pounding. Her face felt like a furnace.

Adrien looked at the girl in front of him, noticing the deep color of her flushed cheeks and how she couldn't quite make eye contact. Slowly, he took her hand that was balled up on her lap and took it in his own, testing it to get her permission, then intertwined their fingers together. When Marinette's eyes gazed up for a split second, she found that Adrien was mere inches from her face, closer than they've ever been. Something inside her finally let go and she relaxed, her fingers melding with his as she closed her eyes and closed the gap between them. Their lips brushed each other lightly until Adrien cradled the back of Marinette's head-gently this time-and deepened their kiss. Marinette felt butterflies and saw fireworks. It was more than she could have dreamed.

She didn't even realize when she flung her arms around Adrien's neck or how she ended up laying down, but when she opened her eyes, Adrien was gazing at her with beloving adoration. The boy caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, kissing her once more. Marinette kept her arms tightly around Adrien's neck, unwilling to let him go.

When the boy finally came up for air, they were both panting and blushing.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked in a semi-teasing tone, a sad glaze in his eyes.

Marinette felt a bit guilty. "I was too nervous. Everytime I tried, I'd mess up or embarrass myself. That's why Alya always tried to help me."

"Really? Haha, that does sound a bit like you…" he replied, then his eyes turned serious, "But the Ladybug I know is so fearless…"

Marinette looked up at him, deep in thought. "No one is completely fearless."

Adrien looked down at her, understanding. "When I was Cat Noir, there was a few times when I thought I'd lose you… I thought you were dead once, you know. I was about to go on a killing spree."

Marinette's eyes widened.

"I can't live without you," the boy confessed, tucking his chin into the crook of Marinette's shoulder.

Marinette thought for a moment, holding Adrien in her arms. "Do you mean Ladybug or Marinette?" she asked.

Adrien sat up, "What?"

"Well, before you knew I was Ladybug, did you have any feeling toward me?"

Adrien thought for a moment before answering. "I knew I liked you. You were already pretty cute, especially how clumsy and adorkable you were."

Marinette looked away, trying to hide her embarrassed smile.

"I'm sure if we got to know each other better outside of class, I would have liked you more. You were already an interesting person," he continued, nodding to her previous worries, "Not boring at all. Or disappointing," he said, brushing away a lock of her hair and tucking it behind her ear.

Marinette felt the butterflies again.

"Hey! What about me? Didn't you fall for Cat Noir at least a _little bit?_ " he nudged.

Marinette smirked, "You were being wayyy too obvious with your pick-up lines."

"Hey, my one-liners are lady _killers._ "

Marinette giggled, then she shone a crooked grin, looking up at Adrien, "Okay, Mr. Suave, I guess where _were_ a few times that you were pretty smooth."

"You _think so_ , huh?" he teased, looming over her and leaning in closer, his hand next to where Marinette's head was resting.

"Bad kitty," she teased, poking his cat bell, making it ring.

"I'll be _your_ bad kitty," he retorted, kissing her once more. Marinette swooned.

"I think I heard something coming from over here!" someone suddenly shouted from atop the bridge.

"Crap! They must have heard the bell ringing," Marinette whispered.

"Good going, Lady…"

"We better transform back, fast!" she instructed, the two of them quickly getting back up on their feet, then with a little flash, they were back in their civilian clothes.

"This way!" the man shouted, shining a flashlight below the bridge as he was approaching.

"Marinette, quickly! Pin me down!"

"What?!"

"Hurry!"

Just as the group of townspeople came around and shone their light, they saw the two teenagers making out on the ground.

"Okay, okay, break it up!" one of them yelled, clapping his hands.

Marinette grinned awkwardly, super embarrassed, while Adrien had his hands casually behind his head.

"Teens these days…" another said.

"Boys will be boys…" another joked.

"Hormones, what can ya do?" another joined in.

"Come on, we'll escort you two home," the man with the flashlight said.

After the two teens walked past him, they gave a sideways glance to each other.

Once they arrived at Marinette's place, Adrien felt he needed to properly say goodbye, but they still had so much more they needed to talk about. So as he leaned in to kiss Marinette on the cheek, he whispered, "Leave your balcony patio door unlocked, I'll meet you later tonight."

Marinette's ears flushed red. She would have to make sure mom and dad didn't find out…that there would be a boy in her room, late at night!

"Later," Adrien winked.

"B-b-bye," Marinette stuttered, her face turning red. Cat Noir had winked at her plenty of times, but she had never experienced the full force of Adrien's drop-dead-worthy flirtation like that before.

"Stay safe, young lady," the man instructed, "there's dangerous vigilantes out there. Make sure you stay indoors this late at night."

"Thank-you, sir," she said, her brow furrowing just slightly, then went inside.


End file.
